Gearlds, Purdue claim Preseason WNIT title

Gearlds scored 23 points to lead the 13th-ranked Boilermakers to
a 69-55 victory over 16th-ranked Baylor in the Preseason WNIT
championship game.

A 6-1 senior, Gearlds followed up Friday night's 31-point
performance against Washington with a clutch effort against
Baylor, helping to stifle a second-half rally and allow Purdue
to pull away to the tournament title.

The Boilermakers (5-0) raced to a 40-26 halftime lead, only to
see the Bears (3-1) chip away and whittle the deficit to 54-50
on a layup by Danielle Wilson that capped a 15-4 run with 7:35
to play.

Gearlds responded with five straight points and scored nine of
Purdue's next 10 to restore the lead to 64-54 with 3:02 left.
Baylor managed just a single free throw thereafter.